‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Has a Replacement Director Shortlist

We recently reported that director Rupert Wyatt had stepped away from 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,' his follow up to the successful 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' Now a director's short-list has for his replacement been revealed, and it's fascinating.

It's fascinating because it looks like the leading contender is Matt Reeves, who we just reported left the 'Twilight Zone' movie. Reeves is being mentioned alongside J Blakeson, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Jeff Nichols, according to Deadline Hollywood.

Blakeson is best known for 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed,' which is his sole feature film. Fresnadillo has been attached to the 'Highlander' reboot, and is best known for his '28 Weeks Later,' while Nichols is the out of the box choice as he's best known for 'Crazy Heart.' Deadline also added Guillermo del Toro (really?), Juan Antonio Bayona and Rian Johnson to the mix, but they seem less likely.

It's an odd mix of people, and that Reeves is the leading contender makes a lot of sense in that he just left another project, and has a good relationship with 20th Century Fox. He may have also been frustrated with the process of getting 'Twilight Zone' going, while this is a go project that he may have some clout on. 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' is scheduled to open May 23, 2014.